Noir Chronicles: Vlad
by Creager
Summary: Sequel to Kaine's Story. A boy shows up in Tulsa with an odd Mark. Everyone has seen it before but can't remember. It's up to Stark to recruit the circle in Baltimore for help with this new problem child. But where are the Goddesses; neither will respond.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the sequel~ Happens about the same time as the epilogue for Kaine's Story. And I sort of, kind of, didn't read Tempted, Burned, or Awakened so I no plot details after they arrived at the Abbey. I also haven't read the other ones in so long the minor, but still important, details kind of slipped my mind. So I apologize for any plot holes involving the original story. I would finish, but I would prefer to not shoot myself in the foot in replacement on shooting Zoey for her increasing hoeism and Stevie Rae for her lying bitch syndrome that she suddenly developed. I happened to have found out that Wikipedia was good for something so I'm going with the summaries on there.**

Stevie Rae Johnson, the high priestess over the few red fledglings and the red vampyres left at the Tulsa House of Night, was walking around the grounds on patrol, since she was without a class during the that period of the day. She was humming some country song by Kenny Chesney as she looked out at the city through the main gate. She saw something on the ground not a foot from the gate. A sweet scent also drifted to her nose as she rushed to open the gate.

The boy on the ground was facing away from her; she moved him onto his back. A mess of grey-blue hair was clumped together with dried blood, it clung to his forehead forcibly. He was fair with subtle features. A fresh tattoo of an "X" was situated on his upper arm among a few long healed scars. He looked about seventeen and had several piercings in either ear.

At this time Rephaim, her consort, came up behind her. She convinced him to carry the boy to the infirmary.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" Aphrodite asked as Rephaim laid him on the bed. "I'm here to hand out bandages and keep the kids from trying to get out of class."

Stevie Rae rolled her eyes at her and searched through the cup boards for some isopropyl alcohol (**I randomly have that at my computer desk right now, and it has nothing to do with the need to spell it**) and cotton balls. "We're going to make sure he's not too badly hurt and drop him off at the closest hospital."

"What is a human at the House of Night anyway?" The question received two dirty looks.

Stevie Rae's eyes grew wide as she wiped of the dried blood. "Go get Zoey."

After looking over her shoulder, Aphrodite rushed over to the school building to grab the high priestess. She was in her classroom. Her warrior beside her, she lectured the class on the dangers of imprinting and excepting or giving an oath as a fledgling. The human snickered a bit before knocking on the window.

"What is it?" Zoey asked when she stepped out into the hall.

"We have a new fledgling."

"And you couldn't handle this, why exactly?"

"He was carried into the infirmary unconscious with a forehead covered in dried blood."

"That's a good reason. Mind taking over my class while I go deal with it?" Aphrodite went into the classroom and threw the man after his priestess. The entire class groaned as she declared to open their books and take notes.

When Zoey and Stark reached the infirmary, Stevie Rae had gotten rid of all the blood on the boy's forehead. Zoey was shocked when she looked at the blue outlined crescent on his forehead,

"It's backwards?" Zoey tried thinking of all the ancient knowledge she had learned and didn't remember anything about fledglings with backwards marks. "That's not normal."

"Says the girl with tattoos all over her body," Rephaim joked.

"Says the guy who is half bird," Stark retorted in defense of his priestess.

"Says the vampyre with red tattoos," Stevie Rae stated.

"Guys, you could go on with that forever. Everyone in this room isn't exactly normal." Zoey looked interestedly at the boy and wondered if this was Nyx blessing him as special. It also worried her.

Stark recognized the strange mark. He didn't bring it up since he had multiple times tried to discuss where he saw it in the past, but no one remembered the incident but him. It made him fear for his sanity.

They stood around discussing a bit. Mostly about whom he would room with since they had not expected him. After about half an hour he groaned and sat up.

He opened his eyes, revealing that he had brown eyes. Looking around he noted carefully the marks on each of the vampyres' forehead.

"Did I get marked?" he asked. He had no note of southern twang. Most people would place the accent he spoke with somewhere on the central east coast.

"Yes, dear child. I am Zoey Redbird, High Priestess of the Tulsa House of Night." Zoey said. She was about to ask his name as he went on a rant.

"Zoey Redbird? Tulsa? I should be in Baltimore right now! Why would anyone drive me all the way to fucking Nebraska?"

"What do you mean? Where were you when you were marked?" Zoey asked as she exchanged confused glances with the others in the room.

"I don't remember getting marked! Last thing I remember is walking home from hanging out with my bros and seeing this hoe coming towards me!"

"Where were you?" Zoey reiterated the question.

"In New York."

"Like the big apple?"

"Yeah, my hometown."

The room went dead silent for a while.

Zoey set him up with a handbook and told him that they would get him some uniforms later. She and Stevie Rae both had classes to teach and Rephaim wasn't a vampyre so it wasn't much of his business. That left Stark to show the boy around the grounds.

Since his future roommate wouldn't be in his room until after class let out Stark took the time to show the boy, whom they had found out was named Vlad, around campus.

"What's up with the red tattoos? They're pretty badass." Vlad questioned as they were walking through the school building.

"Um… Well it is what happens after a fledgling rejects the change and then comes back." Stark replied, unsure of himself. "Though since the Neferet incident no fledglings have come back."

"So you're saying you're a zombie?"

Stark nodded and showed him out of the building and headed to the temple.

"Like not living all that close to a vampyre finishing school I don't know much about vampyres. All the people I knew that got marked were chicks."

Stark nodded again and thought on how to answer that. He eventually decided to be a commercial for the handbook.

As they passed the temple Stark spotted a boy sitting against the wall. He sighed angrily and approached him.

"Niles, what are you doing?"

"I got dumped again. I don't feel like dealing with classes." The boy mumbled.

"You can't skip class every time your relationships fail you know?"

The boy looked away.

"Well you being here is convenient (**hehe). **What do you say to having a roommate?"

The boy, Niles, looked over at Vlad. "That him?"

Stark nodded.

"He's not a douche is he?" Stark shrugged and that was apparently good enough for the guy. He dismissed the teacher and went over to Vlad.

"I am Niles Royal. I am gay, if you have a problem with that you can sl…" He looked the other boy's forehead. "You have a special mark! Damn this house draws all the wackos!"

"What do you mean special mark?" Vlad got a little freaked out. He already was out of place; he didn't want to be any more different.

"It's nothing. Like I said we embrace the odd here. What is your name?"

Vlad looked at his new roommate. The boy was tall, like himself; full figured but not fat; black haired; and hazel eyed. He wore black and yellow trip pants and loose sweatshirt with a golden heart with wings oh the breast. "Vlad Harris. And I don't mind if you're gay. Just don't have sex with any boyfriends you may or may not have while I'm in the room."

"Deal! Let's go show you our humble abode!" Niles put his arm around the new fledgling and dragged him off to the boys' dorms.

Stark had gotten to his and Zoey's room. He sat at her desk and had the phone pressed between his ear and shoulder as he looked for the House of Night in Baltimore's number.

"Hello? Baltimore House of Night. High Priestess Cleopatra Darth speaking, who is calling and how may I help you?" Cleo asked from her side if the line. Eden snickered as she sat beside her and continued grading essays.

"This is James Stark, the warrior of the high priestess at the Tulsa House of Night; could I please speak with a warrior named Kaine?" Stark requested.

Silence greeted him from east coast side of the call.


	2. Chapter 2

**Baltimore House of Night: High Priestess's Room**

"I'm sorry but you can't actually." Cleo said after a while. "Can you hold for a second? Thanks."

After pressing the hold button, the priestess looked at Eden. "Do you know a James Stark?"

"Yeah. Kaine made me walk past him in a miniskirt without any panties on while he was going through his rapist phase!" Eden grimaced at remembering the snowy day she returned from the dead. "What does he want?"

"He wants to talk to Kaine."

Eden nodded and picked up the phone. "Hey Stark. It's Eden, if you remember me."

"Yeah her little red fledgling friend. Why can't I talk to Kaine?"

"She's sort of dead."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Both were silent for a bit. "You might be able to help me a little anyway. Kaine's mark, what do you know about it?"

"It made her different in ways I don't think I'm at liberty to tell you."

"Well we just got a student with a backwards mark and he doesn't remember being marked."

"That's odd." Eden remembered how Kaine did remember what happened when her mark flipped. "My girlfriend knows a bit more than I do. Maybe we'll all come down there. We could use a break from our students and this coastal weather."

Stark laughed slightly. "I'll have my Priestess get in touch with yours."

Eden wondered if he was talking about Zoey-slut. She shrugged and said goodbye to him and headed to her and Tilla's room.

**Tulsa House of Night: Boys' Dormitory**

Vlad walked into the room after his new roommate. The room was pretty dull other than a few posters of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy hanging along one side of the room. A few boys' love manga were spread among pictures of Niles and another boy on the desk. A few shirts and pants littered the floor.

The bed on the other side had what looked like freshly laundered sheets and a few shirts and pants laid out on it. The silver haired boy picked up a shirt and looked at the swirl on the breast.

"What are the symbols for? I noticed even the Vampyres had their own." Vlad looked at his new roommate. Niles took the handbook off of the desk where Vlad had laid it. He flipped to a page and showed it to the other boy. The page had all the symbols and their meanings.

"That makes sense. So this is your second year here?"

"Yeah. Put on the shirt and let's go! I don't want to be late for lunch!" Vlad almost smiled at that. He pulled off his old black tank top and put on one exactly like it, except with the third former symbol on the breast. As he did so he finally noticed the mark on his arm. He frowned and followed his roommate to the dining hall. Niles was telling him the structure of the hierarchy of the school but Vlad was too busy trying to piece together the time between seeing that woman in New York and waking up in Oklahoma.

"This is the gang; from left to right: Ikano Hanaji, Cupid Day, and Calypso Cross."

Ikano had a very distinct Asian name but not a single Asian feature. She had purple eyes and green hair. Both confused Vlad so he just assumed that neither coloration was natural. He focused on the way her bangs and long hair framed her face. Where everyone else had a class insignia she had a green shield with a silver snake.

Cupid was blond with blue eyes. He was a fourth former like Niles. He outwardly didn't seem like Ikano or Niles; Vlad wondered how they all came to be friends.

Calypso was black girl. Her full lips were colored red and her thick black hair was braided lots of little braids. The third former symbol was on her shirt.

"This is my new roommate Vlad Harris." Niles motioned for him to sit with his tray.

"So what's up with your weirdo backwards mark?" Ikano asked in a British accent.

"What's the deal with your hair?" Vlad retorted.

"私は Quidditch のマッチのために緑それを綴った私は決して反対の悪態を見つけることができなかった。" Ikano replied. (**Translation: I spelled it green for a Quidditch match but I never could find a counter curse.) **

"Just ignore her sweet thang, Ikano can't decide between being European and Asian." Calypso told him with a hint of Creole flair.

"I'm actually pretty sure she's from around here." Cupid stated.

"私はEuroasian、忌々しいである!"

"Do you guys understand her ever?" Vlad asked.

"Yeah, when she speaks English." Niles said before turning to Ikano. "You know that Aphrodite is going to kick your ass again for wearing your Slytherin sweatshirt again."

She shrugged and put half of a roll in her mouth.

The other four people at the table looked disgustedly at her.

"How did you guys become friends, you all seem unlikely friends." Vlad voiced out loud.

"Well Niles was dating my roommate until he rejected the change." Cupid stated. "And ever since then I've been playing Cupid. Ironically, this was the name my parents gave me."

"Which doesn't suit you, the latest one you set me up with broke up with me today."

"See, maybe you just keep thinking you're the Goddess's gift to women. It's a good think Vampyres are sterile." Ikano joked. Everyone laughed.

"When I got here they accidently put me in all fourth former classes with Niles." Calypso explained. "And so he helped me straighten things out."

Niles smiled proudly.

"So what about Ikano?"

She smiled and started spouting out one Asian language or another.

"Trust me Vlad you don't want to know." Niles told him, interrupting the culturally confused girl. The other two shuddered and went back to eating.

He smiled inwardly at himself. At least he was able to make friends on his first day. They talked about his strange circumstances of his marking and more about the school. He found out the elements and the full circle at their house of night. Ikano was Nyx's human's fledgling; Niles had the vampyre with the air affinity as his mentor. Not long before lunch was ending a girl with long red hair came over to the table.

"Hey guys." She said before looking at Ikano. "I have priestess stuff today, so I'll be in late."

"That's cool; it'll give me time to hide all your stuff." Ikano replied.

"You're horrible." The red head looked quickly at Vlad before she walked away, followed by three females and male. Vlad stared at the back of her head as she walked away.

"I still don't get why you two ever broke up," Cupid said as he looked where the girl's breasts had been.

"We we're right for each other, especially since she isn't gay." Ikano sighed. "You know how weird it is to room with someone you've had sex with?"

"Ya can bunk with me ya know!" Calypso suggested.

"You're roommate hates my guts, I don't think that would go over well."

"Wait you room with her?" Vlad asked Ikano.

"Nope, I was lying about that sharing a room with her thing." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Could you introduce me to her?"

"Someone's got a crush!" Niles and Caly said.

"He might actual have a chance. I saw the look she gave him."

No one said anything because they all had to leave. Vlad was informed to return to his dorm until later. He never got to go because he was snatched up by Zoey as he went to leave.

**Baltimore House of Night: Top Floor Penthouse of Professor's Dormitory**

Tilla was holding a sheathed sword like it was security blanket. She was sitting about a good yard from an open book, somewhere between seething with rage and crying in sadness. As her girlfriend walked in she looked over.

"What's wrong this time? Did Kaine say something mean again?" Eden sighed as she sat next to the vampyre.

"Kaine hasn't said anything all day!"

"Really? That sucks. We're going to Oklahoma. Let's pack up." Eden didn't have any problem with Kaine stopping communications through Tilla, other than that this might persist for an extended period of time.

"But that's not all! I was reading something in the Book about all warriors being bonded and suddenly all I saw were a bunch of meaningless symbols!"

_You skipped over a whole chapter about only one mortal can know the Divine language during any period of time, _said a faint voice in Tilla's head. It trailed off at the end.

"No! Kaine come back! What the hell are you talking about!" Tilla received no reply but she still felt another's presence within her.

"What did she say?"

"That only one person can know that language at a time, but that doesn't even make sense!" Tilla sighed. "Why are we going to Oklahoma?"

"Someone has a backwards mark. And we're the only ones who know about it"

Tilla didn't understand the feeling coming from the other entity in her head; all she knew about it was that it was strong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Baltimore House of Night: Zoey's Office**

Vlad sat in the chair across from Zoey. She looked over the desk at him. Stark stood at the door, standing watch.

"Vlad, we know nothing about your mark. There is someone in Maryland that does." Zoey stated; she looked to Stark as she spoke. Of course she trusted her warrior but he really was the only one who remembered meeting a fledgling with a backwards mark. "We're having her come up and help you because it obviously means you aren't exactly a normal fledgling."

"I haven't seen it yet." Vlad replied under his breath.

"Stark has offered to be your mentor and I think that he would be very helpful."

Vlad almost said no but he shrugged and looked back at the red mark vampyre.

"And if you have any questions about the school you don't feel comfortable asking a teacher about your roommate would probably be more than willing. Also I'm sure the leader of the dark daughters, my fledgling, would be very interested in a strange young man such as yourself."

"Can I go yet?"

"We have to talk about your classes. We predict that you'll probably be more advanced than a normal third former, but if you feel comfortable staying in that sociology class that would be okay."

"Sociology?"

"A class where you learn about vampyre society and the way your body is changing."

Vlad didn't really feel much different than how he did before getting marked. Sure he felt a bit different, but it was mostly his eye sight had improved and something about the way his blood flowed seemed odd. "I'll be fine. If I change my mind could I?"

"Of course, we'd just need to change your schedule around a bit if you do." Zoey smiled and handed him a piece of paper with times, days, classes, and room numbers.

"Now can I go?"

Zoey laughed lighting and nodded. Vlad got up and headed back to the room he shared with his new friend. He figured he would start reading the handbook, and maybe ask for a tour of the school from Niles. He put his hand on his forehead, it didn't feel different. His face twitched with a mild pain as he put his hand over his new tattoo. He would have loved the number of this person that knew about his oddity.

After reading for a while he fell asleep on his bed. When Niles came in he couldn't bring himself to wake him and continued about his day as normal, eventually crawling into his own bed around five. As he fell asleep and loud ringing came from Vlad's pants. Both boys jumped up in fright before they realized it was a call.

"Vlad? Where the hell are you?" A male voice asked from the other line of the phone. "It took everything I could think of to keep your mother from calling NYPD!"

"Well, that wouldn't have done anything Uncle." Vlad said. He looked apologetically at his roommate.

"What do you mean? Are you selling drugs again?"

"Greg, I've never done drugs or sold them. I'm sort of in Oklahoma." The fledgling waited for the freak out.

"How did you get to Oklahoma?"

"I have no idea, one minute I'm walking home and the next I wake up in the House of Night in Tulsa with an odd mark."

"You got marked?"

"Yeah." Vlad knew for a fact that he was going to hear a freak out for that. Since his uncle's boyfriend left him for a vampyre. The man had a shrine devoted to him in Vlad's mother's living room.

"Why didn't you go to the HoN in Baltimore? It's much closer."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? It was beyond your control. I'll have your mother drive your things down. Are you okay with being marked?"

"Yes Gregory."

"And do make sure to call your home boys so they don't try to break into the house again, your mother said that next time that happens she's calling the cops and you're paying for what the insurance doesn't cover."

"Yeah yeah." Vlad made a mental note to text his friends when they were up and not after they just went to bed. "Bye Gregory."

His roommate didn't look at him as he settled back into his bed. Vlad mimicked Niles after taking off his outwear to sleep in his boxers.

_Vlad… Vlad… _a girl called his name. He noticed that he was without his boxers suddenly and surrounded by a white mist and he couldn't see past an arm's length. He called out to the person but his voice didn't penetrate any farther than his sight.

_Come on Vlad. I've been waiting so many years for this. _He something flashed past just beyond where he could see: a female silhouette.

_Where are you! _He yelled but only received a whisper to his ears.

_What fun would there be in me telling you? _She giggled. _Just get out of the mist and we can talk normally._

_ Is there an end to the mist?_

_ You tell me? This is your dream world. _Vlad started walking forward, hoping that this really was just a dream of his. He felt as though he's had dreams of that sort when he was a kid. _You have, but not when you were too young. Starting about nine or so years ago._

_ Who are you?_

_ Guess. Though I won't tell you for certain until you see me._

_ Are you the one who marked me?_

He felt someone put a hand on his shoulder and a breast press against his back. _Wrong. _She breathed in his ear. As he turned to look at her she wasn't there.

_Are you a figment of my imagination?_

_ Wrong again. _This time she sounded much farther away.

_Are you the woman on the street in NYC?_

_ She would come see you in person if she wanted to talk to you. But I'm sure she's busy that she hasn't yet._

_ Was she was that marked me then? She didn't look like a tracker, or like a vampyre at all._

_ She's a goddess._

_ Nyx?_

_ No, nothing like Nyx. Keep guessing child, before you run out of time._

_ I don't know. I recognize your voice but I can't place where I've heard it before._

_ Well then don't you think it's about time you saw me?_

With the next step Vlad stepped into a well-lit oasis. A water fall reflected light from somewhere above. A woman laid on a chaise lounge, wearing nothing except a belt with a sheathed sword attached. She looked over at him with vibrant green eyes. On her forehead was a filled in crescent going the opposite direction of every other vampyre he had seen; the same direction as his. The blue tattoos surrounding her mark didn't seem as vibrant as the ones Zoey had but they were still cool.

_So now can you guess who I am?_

_ Yes. _He walked over to him and she put her hand up. He smacked it in what is known as a high five. Both smiled as she moved closer to the front to let him lay behind her.

_I've been waiting for her to find you, Vlad. It seems she was in NYC a just the right time._

_ The sword is new._

_ No, just the first time you've seen it. It has been mine for many years but it must move to you when you leave here._

_ You want me to take your sword? What good will it do me to take a sword from someone in a dream?_

_ What good will it do? It will protect you as it has protected the ones I have loved more than anything._

_ You're the other vampyre with the odd mark!_

_ Obviously. But I dare not help you more than this Vlad. It has drained my strength to almost nothing preparing for this meeting._

Vlad watched her intently as she got up and looked down while undoing her belt and holding it in her hand, offering it to him.

_I can't take it._

_ You must! _Her voice was loud and shattered the grassy earth under the couch and the rocks behind the falls. The mist filled the void.

_Alright. _He took it gently from her hands as he closed the distance. She smiled; a tear fell from her eye as she faded into the mist. Vlad returned to walking. He looked at the hilt, calling it a handle to himself. It was silver with an emerald at either side. A gold vine twisted around a brown leather wrap. Where the hilt widened to keep the wielder from cutting his or her self, there were moons, the triple moon goddess symbol in the center and a crescent on either side of that in line with the curve. He put his hand on the hilt and pulled it out far enough to see the name of the woman who had previously owned it on the shimmering blade.

The blade faded from his hands and the mist made way for him to see Niles shaking him awake.

"Come on man! I need enough time to show you to your first class!"

**Baltimore House of Night: Cleo's office**

"Yay! Trip!" Kimi exclaimed upon hearing the news about the fledgling in Oklahoma.

"Sorry Kimi," Cleo started. She looked over at Eden and Tilla as they walked into the room. Tilla was decked out with sword and gun. "You have to stay here and be temporary priestess."

"Aw!" Kimi frowned but her smiled returned quickly. "Does that mean I have free rein to punish the kids as I see fit?"

"Unfortunately." Kimi walked out and waved enthusiastically at the couple.

"You two ready to go?" Cleo asked them. They nodded. "Let's go."

They made no conversation on the ride to the airport. Nor did they talk as they flew over the states to Oklahoma. Eden remembered sadly the last time she made the journey she sang songs the entire time with a friend.

It was midday in Tulsa as they stood outside the gate to one of their many sister schools.


	4. Chapter 4

**Place: Tulsa House of Night Dinning Hall. Time: Breakfast.**

"Where's Ikano?" Niles asked the female at the table. She shrugged and went back to her food.

"So how did you sleep Vlad?" Cupid asked as he picked up his breakfast sandwich.

"I had an odd dream that Niles took me out of."

"Sorry man, were you getting laid?" Niles replied.

"Nah, that part already happened."

"Then no harm no foul."

The red head from the day before came up to the table. She looked a little sad.

"Ikano asked me to give you guys this." She handed a folded piece of paper to the closest of them. They all fought over it. She turned her attention to Vlad. He noticed she had gorgeous blue eyes; he was a sucker for a girl with blue eyes.

"You must be Vlad. I'm MJ."

"MJ? What does that stand for?"

"Mary Jane. I'm a comic book fan and since I could change my name and I have red hair I thought it was the best choice."

"Like from Spiderman then? I'm from New York."

"Really? Could you tell me about it while I give you a tour of the school?"

Vlad got up and smiled at her. He nodded and walked with her out of the hall. Her groupies didn't follow. He learned that she was Zoey's fledgling.

"So, I think you should come to the full moon ritual the dark daughters are hosting tomorrow." Mary Jane said as they stood outside of Vlad's homeroom.

"Really? Why should I?"

"Because I asked? And I can see the way you've been looking at me."

"But youcan't be innocent of the act of looking either, MJ. What affinity do you have that you're the leader of the dark daughters?"

"Water." A bell rung in the building. "Well I have to go."

Vlad didn't agree as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. He kissed her gently on the cheek. "Now you may go." She walked away quickly, her cheeks red, and her lips widened into a smile.

He walked into his homeroom. The blonde female vampyre smiled at him. Her marks were swirly and had many things to do with water. She introduced herself as Erin and then introduced him to the class when they all came in. They took to him well and a student who was apparently Erin's fledgling. His name was Marrow. He too was friends with MJ, the boy following her the day before. He was very close with the vampyre with a fire affinity's fledgling, one of the females.

As they left the classroom they headed different directions. Vlad was headed to Sociology. Zoey was very helpful in the class and even pointed him in the right direction for his next class.

He met his teachers for his other classes, leading up to lunch. In each the students looked at him like a stigma but didn't say anything to or about him. As he walked out of his last class on his way to get food Stark grabbed his arm.

"What's up?" Vlad asked him as he was lead gently away.

"The vampyres from Baltimore are here to meet you." Vlad gulped.

**Zoey's Office: Half an Hour before Lunch**

"It's nice to meet another Priestess of the same generation." Zoey said with a smile as she grasped Cleo's forearm. "But coming without a warrior?"

Cleo looked at the weird hand shake and looked to the other two. They both shrugged. "We have one."

Tilla blushed and put her hand to the sword on her hip. She heard a sigh inside her. She questioned it but got no reply.

"Zoey-slut! You don't remember me but he have met!" Eden said with a smile. Zoey figured they must have for her to call her that. "You're still not a slut, are you?"

"No! Only one guy for me!"

"You choose Stark right? I feel for the guy."

Tilla hadn't said anything upon arriving at the HoN. She felt uncomfortable. She sat in one of the chairs as the others talked. It was a while before Stark came in with the boy they were waiting on.

Tilla put her eyes on the Vlad immediately; he did the same. He looked in her eyes and was suddenly remembering his dream the night before. He almost called the name of that woman until he noticed the mark being normal. She noticed his mark and almost started crying.

_Don't be sad. Your worries are over. _A voice barely said in her head.

"Vlad this is Cleopatra, Tilla, and Eden." Zoey said, motioning to each in turn.

Vlad saw the sword on Tilla's hip. "You are her."

"Her who!" Tilla spat out. _Oh shit._

"Kaine?"

Stark along with the women from the Northeast looked at him as if he was on some illegal drug. "How do you know that name?"

_Well you see, as a dead spirit I might have learnt how to invade people's dreams._

_ You what!_

Vlad had said the same thing about Kaine invading his dreams. He held up his hand to Tilla and she automatically high fived him.

"She told me that sword was mine now."

"Kaine did what!" Tilla yelled inwardly but only got a serene nothingness. "It's our sword! She just can't expect me to give it away!"

Eden sighed and knew that boy wasn't lying. She looked at Tilla and was about to reason with her. There was no chance of convincing her. She found some of her original allegiance to Kaine and started unhooking the belt from her friend. Tilla looked down and found incapable of stopping her soul mate. She stormed off when it was being handed to the boy.

"I'm sorry." Vlad said as he looked at the hilt just to make sure it was the right sword.

"No. She has to move on, and carrying that won't help." Eden turned back to Zoey's desk and grabbed the hefty book. "You can have this too."

"What is that?" Stark asked. "I think I may have seen Kaine with it while you two were down here the first time."

"You did. I'm assuming only he can read it." Eden replied. She eyed the door. It didn't take her long to follow her soul mate to the rooms Zoey had set up for them.

"If he can't it will make a fabulous addition to your library." Cleo smiled. She looked at Vlad, getting tired of this meeting. "Young man! The original owner of that sword always had friends, she never relied on us but we were the only thing she had of worth were her friends. Remember yours."

"May I go?" Vlad asked after Cleo had walked off after her friends. Zoey nodded. She slumped into her chair. Stark went to her side.

"I don't know if I can handle this."

"You defeated Neferet; you can handle one kid."

"What was Kaine like?"

"What do you mean? Looks, personality?"

"Personality."

"She was odd. She wasn't like the other fledglings that were here at the time. It was like she knew exactly how to stop Neferet and Kolona, but she didn't feel it was her fight so she stayed out of it."

Zoey nodded at looked at the far wall.

**So, I've dediced to make this a Trilogy, so as soon as I finish this one I'll be getting to the third one. I may tell you the title closer to the end. I will tell you it will take place across the globe. I'm also planning on throwing in a few more chapters with songs, mostly for my own mental sanity. The only song I've been content to listen to since writing the second to last chapter in Kaine's Story is "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love Again" so I'm hoping to get a different one in my head. So Review because you don't want to feel my wrath.**


	5. Chapter 5

One of the most expensive, but unknown, hotels in the metropolitan center for cultural union and exploration that is the city of New York, was completely rented out. The employees were paid to stay out for the next week and as far as other potential costumers knew, the hotel was closed. In the largest banquet room three women were watching the beautiful grandfather clock.

Two that looked very similar sat, watching the other more than the clock. Both women had long patch work skirts. Their brown hair was back in two braids, leaving long bangs hanging over their eyes. Both had blood shot yellow eyes. The older was much paler and wore a short sleeved, grey, turtle neck sweater that just went below her breasts. Her younger counter part was very tan and wore a V-neck sweater the same color as her sister's; it went well past her waist and her hand were covered by the sleeves. She yawned and exposed her pointed teeth.

"Luna, she'll be here before everyone else is," the pale one in formed their pacing acquaintance.

The women called Luna had the same skin tone as the younger twin. Her hair was long white and pulled back in a ponytail. Pastel pink streaks were in bangs and ponytail. She wore long white pants and a tank top matching her streaks. She glared at twins.

"Lola, what are you trying to pull lying to me like that!" She growled in her throat like a dog. The pale twin shrugged. "And for my father's sake wake up Loulou!"

Lola didn't even attempt waking up her sister, three seats away. She looked at the clock as it sounded 8:30 PM; sunset. Around the table that the twins were sitting at, humanoids and other phantasms materialized around the table. As each appeared an imp whispered their names in hushed yells.

_Gabriel. Hermes._ _Garuda. Nyx. Ra. __Amaterasu. Buddha. Helios. Vor. Bragi. Allah. Minerva. Nyx. _The continued the list of Gods, until every seat but one was filled. When this had happened it disappeared. Many of the Gods had been cast out of the lives of the humans who once worshiped them by many different names. All were known in different parts of the world, now only a few matter to the mortals.

"Where is Xia?" Ra asked. He looked annoyed at the lack of one of the three women he had given the Moon to. Nyx looked pointedly at Lola like she should know.

Before anyone else could speak the double doors slammed open. Xia walked in. She frowned when she saw everyone she tried to avoid at all costs gathered together. "Sorry I'm late. I had a problem I needed to take care of."

"Don't you mean you were causing a problem?" One of the Greek or Roman Goddesses said. Many others agreed.

As Xia took her place, she threw apologetic looks at Nyx and Luna to her right and Lola to her left; many Gods wondered if their presence was absolutely essential.

"It's only once every millennium, you can just sit there and let us important Gods talk about current events." Xia announced as she put her boots on the polished wood of the table.

"We wouldn't even have to get together if you could just sit in a hole and not involve yourself with the humans Xia." Hermes retorted.

"Where would the fun of that be? Besides humans cannot be expected to rule themselves, without me the world economy would collapse on itself." Xia said in an uninterested tone.

"You should have thought about that before you started interacting with them." Gabriel sneered at her.

"Oh Gab, maybe if your master wouldn't have decided to cast us out!"

"Xia, please stop insulting my father." Luna sighed.

Xia eyed a chess set in the corner of the room. "You want to fight Luna?"

"Not today, Xia. What exactly was this problem you were solving?"

"I was actually multitasking, sort of. Created a short term solution to our problem, but created a new one."

"You did what?" The other two moon Goddesses yelled at her.

"Good ole Xia." Was the chorus of all the Gods present.

"Well, is this a matter for all of the Gods?" Either Allah or Buddha asked.

All three moon goddesses shook their heads no. As they did, the Gods disappeared again.

Xia smiled at the three that were glaring at her. "So how have you guys been? Long time no see, Luna, Nyx."

"What the hell did you do this time?" Lola asked.

"Well, you remember Kaine?"

Nyx nodded. Luna and Lola had heard the name but had never met the girl.

"And how she is now one with Tilla?"

The response was again a nod.

"I met their soul twin, and I marked him and dropped him off at your house, Nyx."

"I will have to converse with Cleo. Though I'm sure Tilla will ask Kaine for help, and consult your book." Nyx replied peacefully.

"There are several problems with that plan." Nyx sighed and awaited on elaboration. "He's not at the Baltimore House of Night, and he will not be going there. Kaine is fading and Tilla can no longer read that book."

Nyx had to restrain herself from strangling her fellow goddess. "What is this girl's name?"

"His name is Vlad. I also found it appropriate to give him the long forgotten element."

"But a mortal is not strong enough to control such a force!" Luna and Lola yelled at her.

"That's what you said about the ability to read the divine language," she said sarcastically.

"I need to consult with Zoey." Nyx said. She then disappeared. Luna glared at Xia and then started storming out.

"Luna, wait!" Xia ran after her friend.

"What am I going to have to do to get you to realize that your schemes don't work?" Luna fumed.

"Give me an instance in which they didn't!" Xia replied, still following her.

"You're just trying to get me involved!" Luna turned around.

"Me? Do something like that? You know me better!"

Luna thrust her pointerfinger into Xia's face and continued storming off. "Maybe your next 'chosen one!'"

Xia smiled triumphantly as Loulou scampered past and followed Luna. Lola stood beside Xia. "So, coz, what am I to do? Other than try to babysit you better in the future?"

"Oh, Lola. You may have no need if my plan does not work out as I hope."

"You actually have a plan?"

"In theory…"

**Tulsa House of Night, Priestess's Office**

Zoey had just been left by the invaders from the northeast and her warrior. She sat in her chair. She had tried to get in contact with Nyx already but she was apparently doing something else.

"Zoey, my child," Nyx said; she appeared before the vampyre.

Zoey wanted to be angry but she couldn't be mad at the goddess. "I need guidance. The vampyres from Baltimore are no help."

Nyx smiled. "I'm afraid that Vlad must find out what he is and how to deal with it on his own. If his Goddess sees it fit for information to be directly known she will tell it."

"But you're his Goddess!"

"No child. I assume you will meet her in time. She is currently far away, but that will not keep her away long."

"Why did you come here, if you couldn't help me!"

"Because I thought I should warn you that ancient force will come upon this house." Nyx vanished with that. Leaving Zoey to sulk again.


	6. Chapter 6

Vlad went back to his classes, after dropping the sword and book off in his room. All his teachers were cool and he was instantly fond of them, especially the horseback riding teacher. He sighed and looked around the hallway. The boy wondered about his future as he walked back to his dorm, on the lookout for being snatched up by Stark or one of the Vampyres from Baltimore.

He heard soft thuds against the door as he put his hand on the knob. A knife went past his ear as he opened it.

"Well there you are!" Xia said, she lying on his bed, holding a knife in her hand.

"You're the woman from that night!"

"Yes, yes. Now shut that damned door!" He did as he was told. A poster of the sixth former symbol was hanging on the back of the door. Several knifes had been thrown at the faces of the women, especially the one with the scissors.

"Any reason you're mutilating my door?" Vlad stayed by the door, in case he had to make a speedy exit if the situation called for it.

"Oh, of course. I always have a reason for everything I do, kid." Xia sat up and smiled. "Take you for example; I gave you that mark for a reason. You are a now part of a war."

Vlad's jaw dropped. "No one said anything about a war!"

"I did! Just now! Weren't you listening?"

"But why me?"

"The high fives? Soul twin with my past chosen one, you're an obvious choice."

"How am I different than other fledglings?"

"Read my dear Vladdie!"

"Don't call me 'Vladdie!'"

Xia threw him the book and jumped out the open window. He stuck his head out and didn't see her in the night.

"Vlad?" Niles asked as he entered the room. He looked at the back of the door. "Have a thing against sixth formers?"

Vlad looked back into the room. "No, I can't explain that."

Niles nodded. "Nice sword." He went to grab it. Vlad felt compelled to grab it and keep his friend from touching it. For this he received an odd look.

"Sorry, just don't touch it okay?" Niles shrugged and went for the book.

"Can you read this?" Niles flipped through the pages.

"What do you mean?" Vlad saw the letters as regular English as he read of Niles's shoulder. "Can you not?"

"No, I asked for my health." Niles rolled his eyes and set the book down. "Where were you during lunch?"

"Zoey's office, met some vampyres that knew a vampyre with a mark like mine. Find out what happened to Ikano?"

"She was apparently never a fledgling, or something. Ran off."

"Excellent. So, what do you guys do fun around here?"

"Play video games in the rec room! Watch the warriors! Normal teenager stuff. We normally go shopping on weekends."

Vlad nodded and took the book. "I guess I should find out what I am."

Niles bid him good bye and went downstairs.

As Vlad opened the book he felt a familiarity at the symbols on the old parchment. He traced the opening on the first page before opening to the first marked page.

The pages marked with neon post-it notes were annotated in obnoxious colored gel pens in the same language as the book. Some of the sentences and short hand in the margins were helpful and gave ways to use things or added to the information given. Most of the side comments were just that: sarcastic remarks in reply to what the original author had to say.

Even with the assistance of the notes, Vlad just couldn't seem to understand anything he read. There were things about ancient monsters, curses to put on people, pictures with captions that looked hundreds of years old, and other miscellaneous medieval writings that made no sense to the uptown New Yorker. He started rereading what he had read, hoping it would make more sense the second time.

As he turned the second page, there was a knock on the door. He looked up to tell whoever it was to come in, as if reading his mind the door opened. The first thing he saw was long ginger hair, and then the rest of MJ came through the door. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"What are you doing up here?" She walked over to where he was sitting at his desk and looked over his shoulder. "Niles seemed worried about you."

"Just trying to understand what my odd Mark means." Vlad sighed and then leaned back in a stretching motion.

"Niles said something about a book with odd symbols, it this it?" She picked it up and paged through it. She stopped at the page with the picture of the dead human and the Changed Mirror. "Vlad, I think you have to drain someone to change."

"What? That's nonsense!" He stood up and looked at the picture with her. The caption said pretty much what MJ had stated. The short poem on the side was written in English and gel pen.

"Well that sucks." Vlad had been in a few fire fights and several knife and fist fights as a gang member, but he would have never of taken a life. It was a side effect of being raised in a penthouse apartment in Upper Manhattan. "Do you think it's serious?"

"Well, Mr. Mirror, what do you think?"

Vlad grimaced and thought about it. "I could go ask someone."

"You can do that later," MJ set the book down and sat on his bed. "I came here to talk."

Vlad smiled and sat next to her. Absent mindedly he took her up turned hand into his, their fingers intertwining. She looked at their hands and did not protest as he began to speak. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I think I may be crazy, I feel something between us." MJ looked away as red suffused across her pale cheeks. "Do you feel something too?"

Vlad smiled and pulled on her chin gently toward him. "I do." With that he kissed her. She kissed him back. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she moved onto his lap, straddling him.

Just as Vlad was about to put his hand places they shouldn't be, the door opened. MJ jumped up, her face redder than a cucumber **(you thought I was going to say something red didn't you? Fooled ya! I honestly can't think of anything red that isn't cliché at the moment…)**

"Yo, Vlad…" Niles looked from his annoyed roommate to the embarrassed girl. He smiled and would have said something vulgar if a woman in an expensive dress suit wouldn't have walked in behind him, pulling a suitcase and holding a phone to her ear. She yelled violently into the speaker before slamming it shut and smiling awkwardly. "Your mom's here dude."

"We'll talk later, Vlad." MJ smiled at him and scampered past Vlad's mother.

"Already got yourself a cute piece of ass I see." She had feathered dyed auburn hair. A few wrinkles marked her as middle aged. Her nails were freshly manicured nails. She pulled off her huge sunglasses to expose her dark, cold, brown eyes. Her teeth were falsely whitened.

"You've been here less than two days and you already have your room absolutely filthy," the woman scoffed as she looked around the room at the floor littered with Niles's junk. She then looked at Niles, since her son was taking too long to reply. "Could you please give us some privacy, please?"

"Mom, he's my roommate. It's cool." Vlad sighed. Many of Vlad's friends were in gangs and lived on the streets a majority of their lives, and most of them say his mother is the scariest thing they've seen. They'd rather get arrested then have to face her wrath.

"You have a roommate? What kind of lowly trashy are these people that they can't afford a room for every fucking student."

Vlad sighed and took the suit case from his mother and started taking out his things, thinking of wear to put them. "You dropped off my stuff so you can leave now right?"

"I came all this way just to stay for a few hours? Hell no boy!" She put her hand on the door knob and got ready to leave the room. "I'm staying for the month."

"The month!" Vlad turned around and glared at his mother. "What about your precious job? Any other time it's been more important than me, being a vampyre suddenly makes you care?"

"Well now that you're a Vampyre you can make something of yourself, instead of continuing to be a low life criminal." With that she headed back to the professor's dorm to settle into one of the guests beds, hoping she'll be able to get to sleep so she can get up at night fall the next day.

"Your mom's a real bitch man." Niles said, looking at here her suede pumps were previously to her exit.

"Tell me about. She's racist, homophobic, sexist…" Vlad sighed as he turned back to the suitcase. "If it's negative, she's got it."

"Does that mean she has prostate cancer?"

Vlad shook his head and asked for a reminder of when dinner was.

**So I figured out why I can continue my HON fics (this one) and not my other ones. It has to do with source material quality. The **_**House of Night **_**books sucked. The other ones I write for didn't. Simple as that. It's hard to improve something that is already good. Also, sorry if I don't update for a while, I just got the new Sims and it is freaking awesome *goes into commercial mode* … Anyway, review and such, and if you haven't yet read "Noir Chronicles: Kaine" you should go do that, because there I things that I explained in that, that I may not explain here out of laziness. Also I'm not titling the chapters out of laziness and uncreativity. Creager out~**


	7. Chapter 7

Vlad and Niles sat at the usual table with Caly and Cupid. Caly and Cupid both whistled at Vlad quietly. He had noticed looks from everyone on the way there.

"What? Did I do something?" Vlad asked as he absently ate his food.

"Yeah!" Cupid said. He smiled. "You're such a player man! Going for anyone else by the end of the week?"

Vlad looked at Niles, as if he told them.

"It wasn't Niles. The whole school knows." Clay scoffed and wiped her head over at the table of MJ's friends, that was missing MJ. "See the brunette? She's a total bitch. She told everyone. If I had a bff like that I'd probably kill myself – or more likely her!"

Vlad grimaced at the raising of her voice during the last sentence. "That's harsh, if she does things like that why does MJ keep her as a best friend?"

Vlad looked over at the table again. Five people were sitting around the only round table in the room. He saw Marrow, his light brown eyes locked on the female beside him. She tucked her straight, black hair behind her ear to expose large silver hoops hanging from her pale lobe, before moving his dirty blond curls off his forehead with her sharp black nails. Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she smiled with dimples. The brunette they were previously talking about was smirking as she was being yelled at by a petite girl with short spiky blonde hair. Her voice was low enough that he couldn't make out what she was saying. A girl with pretty caramel colored skin was trying to calm her down. Her black hair was back in a single braid, the pink highlights giving a cool effect to the style.

"Can I sit with you guys?" MJ asked. She was frowning, and looked as if she had been crying a few minutes ago. She held her tray awkwardly.

"Of course!" Caly replied. Her and Cupid shared a quick look of minor animosity and then both smiled at her.

Vlad and Niles both scooted closer to the opposite side of the bench. She sat down and silently ate for a while. Everyone watched her closely; the princess of the school was sitting with them. She looked up and blushed.

"What?"

"Why aren't you sitting with your friends?" Niles asked, half impolite.

"Can't a girl sit with her boyfriend?"

"Now hold the phone here MJ!" Cupid said loudly, waving his arms as if wildly swatting a fly. "Just because you made out with our boy here doesn't make you his girl!"

"Don't listen to him," Vlad smiled and took her hand. "I would love to be your boyfriend, and would have to kick myself in the ass if I made out with you without a commitment."

Calypso hit her friend in the chest. "See? I told you Vlad was a better man than you! Female instinct!"

"Yeah yeah. Bitch." He rubbed is now sore chest. Niles and Vlad laughed at this.

"But, really, why aren't you sitting with your friends?" Vlad looked over at the four empty chairs.

"I can't deal with June and Bone right now, after they told everyone like that!" She sighed and sat her fork down, only having eaten half her food.

"But they didn't tell anybody, trust me I got my connections in the gossip chain!" Caly wasn't too fond of MJ's friends, or MJ, but she sure hated when girls accuse other girls of wrongs, especially when she know it's wrong.

"But Apate told me that they were the ones telling everyone!"

"Apate's the one spreading it around!"

"She's my best friend! Why would she do that?" Caly rolled her eyes at that statement.

"I've been the back stabbing best friend before; I know what they look and act like honey!" She got up and prepared to leave. "Trust me sweetheart, you need a new best friend."

"There is a reason she isn't allowed to have female friends anymore." This statement caused Vlad to give Cupid the go-away-before-I-have-to-kill-you stare. As Niles opened his mouth to defend the ladies' man, Vlad gave him the same look.

After they were alone at the table. Vlad took MJ's hands and forced her to look him in the eye. "Why is it such a big deal for to make out with me?"

"I sort of took an oath to myself to not be another guy until I'm changed and looking for a consort or warrior."

"What kind of oath is that? Forcing yourself to not have a boyfriend?"

"My last to relationships here failed. The first one used me and the second was so good and we so close to being intimate and I kept telling myself we'd make it past both of us changing, but he rejected the change. Plus I'm sure you heard about my short relationship with Ikano."

"Well I guess those are pretty good reasons to stop wanting to date guys, or girls. What makes me so special?"

MJ looked at him seriously and moved his bangs off his Mark. She traced it with her finger and smiled. "There is just something good, and mysterious about you."

_I sure hope so… _Vlad thought in reply to her accusation of being good. He himself didn't know which side of this supposed war he was on. He couldn't help but smile back at her as Apate walked up behind them.

"Come on MJ! Let's go, I need some help with my homework!" She had a rough scratchy voice that would grate on a person's eardrums.

"Apate! This is the Vlad that I was telling you about." MJ said, motioning to the boy beside her. He smiled awkwardly and waved.

"Pleasure."

"So I think we should see a movie sometime this weekend." MJ stood up and looked down at her new boyfriend.

"I'd like that. I guess I'll see you at the Dark Daughters meeting tonight."

"Feel free to bring Caly or Niles." With that she bent down to kiss him and left with Apate.

"I know you guys are back there." Vlad called. Niles and Cupid popped up from behind the back of the booth. They smiled at him nervously and waited for him so they could head back to the boys' dorms.

They talked to him about the circles and were fighting over which one of them he was taking to the Dark Daughters meeting the next night. Vlad didn't have too difficult of a choice. Though Caly would enjoy it more, it would be less awkward to take a guy to an event is girlfriend invited him to. She had said she could take Cupid so he wasn't on the list of possible choices. About half way down the path a pair of cats started following the boys.

The two cats were hoping to be noticed by the silver haired boy and clawed him lightly on the back of either ankle after getting impatient. He let out a yelp of surprise and mild pain as he turned around and looked down at the felines smiling up at him.

Both were grey with brown eyes. A perfect orange zig-zag went down both of their backs and their tails had orange rings. The one cat had an orange lightning bolt over his left eye, the other a bolt crossing her right. Vlad bent down and patted them both on the head gently. Both put their sent on his hands and lick him.

"Looks like Vlad got himself a pair of familiars." Cupid said. "My ex-girlfriend had a really mean cat, he didn't like me."

"Probably just trying to protect her from you." Niles laughed at his own joke. Vlad smiled but didn't laugh. He looked intently at his new cats. "What are you going to name them?"

Vlad thought about it for a while. The cats watched him, waiting for names. "Zig for the male and Zag for the female."

Both mewed in approval and rubbed against his legs. The three boys and the cats walked the rest of the way to the dorms. They popped Ar Tonelico into one of the PS2 lying around the common and played until their bed times. When Vlad finally got up to his room there was a bunch of cat goodies to be set up on his desk. He quickly set the litter box up in his and Niles's bathroom, placed down water and food bowls and the cat beds. When he settled into bed he hadn't noticed the orange candle sitting on the book.

Both his cats were lying in bed with him when he woke up the next night. He quickly changed and headed to the cafeteria with his roommate. Both his cats stayed on his bed and tried to take up as much space as possible for two small cats.

The boys sat with Caly and Cupid. MJ was laughing with her friends and Vlad sighed in relief. He would let her be with them since they would have just made up. The plan was to sit with her at lunch. He went to classes, met her friends at lunch: Bone was the girl with the black hair; June was the petite blonde; and Keres was the black girl. June, he learned, was hot tempered and violent; she also could put sailors to shame. Bone and Marrow were like twins, but creepily they also could pass as lovers; they acted like both. Keres was very quiet and looked as if someone had just died. Apate somehow managed to keep the subject on her the entire time.

After lunch Vlad went back to class, just like everyone else. He had Equestrian Studies during his last period and walked into the stables, waiting for instruction on which stall to muck out. He saw Eden talking to Lebonia outside of her office. Both looked at him and frowned. Eden grabbed a bucket, two rakes, and Vlad's arm. She then proceeded to drag him into the nearest stall.

"Vlad. We need to talk." Eden threw a rake to him and started raking the old straw into the bucket. She looked very serious. He watched her from the corner of his eye as he followed in her lead; waiting for her to speak.

**So, it's me again. I updated. Promise I did; this chapter is not a figment of your imagination. Well it could be, but then this A/N would be too. I didn't mean any offense to anyone that still likes the original. I will the Casts props for well developed world and characters; but I feel out of love with the plot and a majority of the characters at the beginning of **_**Tempted**_**; and then when I heard they killed off my second favorite character I was pissed off so there was even less chance I was picking it back up. Anyway; before you get bored of me rambling and just exit out of the internet and don't want to review anymore, I'll just go. Thanks for reading. ~Creager out~**


	8. Chapter 8

"How much of the book have you read?" Eden didn't look at Vlad as she asked the first question.

"A few of the marked sections. None of it made much sense." Vlad stopped working and leaned on the rake.

"If you don't start raking Lebonia is going to send us to next week." Eden hit him in ankles with the rake. "What do you have questions on?"

"Do I really have to kill someone to Change?"

"Yes." Eden stopped for a second in remembrance. "I was with Kaine when she was Changed."

"Do you miss her?"

"Were not talking about me. We're talking about you and whether you understand how to save the world or not."

"No one said anything about saving the world."

"I saw Xia, I'm sure you've heard about it at some point."

"Who's Xia?"

"You didn't ask her name? You definitely are their soul twin." Eden laughed at herself.

"Can I feed without killing?"

"You and being worried about killing people, you're going to worry yourself into an early grave. Do you have to kill the cow to drink the milk?"

Vlad stared at her. She swore unintelligibly about spending too much time in the presence of the two moon goddesses that were ever so fond of riddles. "No. What else? Any problems with the Noir story or your connection with Nyx?"

Eden did her best to explain the questions he asked and somehow managed to rid him of many of his current worries as the class was getting close to being over.

"Can't I contact you in Baltimore if I have any more questions?" Vlad asked as they were hosing off the covered rakes.

"Tilla and I are going to live on our own as soon at term is over, so only for a few more months."

"Where are you going?"

"Funny, Cleo and Kimi don't even know. You think I'll tell you?" Eden sighed. "We're going because Tilla is losing it since she can no longer talk to Kaine."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Vlad was just getting ready to put fresh straw in the stall they were working on.

"Don't be." Eden jumped up and put her lips to the boy's ear. She whispered something she had come to believe more than anything. After that she walked back to her guest room and see if Tilla wanted to go to the Circle. The full moon was beautiful.

Niles was close to where Vlad was at the end of classes. They walked together to the temple, hoping for good seats.

Eden opened the door and didn't see Tilla. She walked over to where the bed and saw something she never wanted to see: her soul mate aiming her gun under her chin.

In the temple the fledglings were waiting for the start of the monthly ritual. As the members of the circle came into the room they went to their places. Niles pointed out all the teachers unnecessarily. The only teacher in the Circle Vlad had not had in class was the male holding the yellow candle, that Niles said was his mentor. A song started playing and Zoey danced into the center of the circle. She smiled, meeting the eyes of everyone she was able to. Immediately she walked towards Damien, match in hand.

Vlad and his friends found themselves along the circle between east and south. Vlad looked over at MJ and her friends sitting behind Erin as Zoey welcome air into the circle. Vlad was awed at the sensation of a breeze rushing through the room. The same awe came upon him at the warmth of a fire and the scent of the ocean. As Zoey lit the green candle He smelt nothing, like there was a bubble around him since Niles was awe stricken despite having been to a circle before. He felt the happiness of spirit. Earth was not with him that night.

Vlad looked at the glowing line connecting the outer four elements. He was right at it. His hand absently reached out to touch it. As contact was made the line disappeared and every candle but the yellow one blew out. The air around Vlad glowed orange and then faded into him. As this happened a line dashed from where Damien was standing to the lit candle in Vlad's room, this line then went back to the temple and relit Shaunee's candle, then Erin and Stevie Rae's in turn. The line met back with the other end at the loveable gay man and the purple candle was once again with a flame.

Everyone was looking at the Mirror. He flushed of color and tried not to be seen. Zoey called him to where she was standing. As she was waiting for him to tiptoed into the center, the high priestess noticed someone of equal standing hiding in Shaunee's corner. She beckoned her over as well. As Cleo stepped into the circle the red candle's flame brightened.

"What the hell happened?" Zoey whispered, trying not be heard by the crowd, which was having conversations of their own.

Vlad frowned and shook his head, refusing to speak.

"I still don't understand the line." Cleo replied. "We've never had that. Maybe if we would have done rituals while we had a full Circle."

"So neither of you have any idea what new mystical element he represents?"

"That would be correct."

Vlad rubbed his arm and felt small sparks jump from arm to hand through his hairs. It hit him like a like a text message hits a bear attacking a baby. "Thunder. Thank Thunder when you back around."

The voice was his but the words were someone else's.

Zoey frowned but nodded. She sent them both back to where they were previously. Zoey nervously said what she originally was going to say about the summer break being so close. Achievements by students were also addressed, and then she finally had to explain Vlad.

"I'm sure you're all wondering what just happened with our newest fledgling just now." Most laughed or nodded. Vlad felt on the spot, even though they were all watching their priestess. "Truth be told I'm not entirely sure either. Vlad tells me this new element is thunder. And if we may have him; I would like to have this new element in our Circles from now on. Vlad?"

He nodded at her. Niles and Cupid both patted him on the back, in congratulations. He didn't feel very lucky, he was already weird.

Zoey thanked all her elements, including Thunder and closed the circle, letting the students and teachers out to go to dinner or the Dark Daughters meeting. As Vlad walked past her she gave him the we'll-talk-about-this-later-young-man stare.

Vlad and Niles were intercepted by June. She smiled at them deviously. "So which one of you want to grab this apparent candle for Thunder so we can hold the Dark Daughters' meeting?"


	9. Chapter 9

**So I'm finally updating. It's been so long since I have. Forgive me. 3 you all.**

Vlad waited nervously, placed hap-hazardly at south-east. They were waiting on Niles to bring the candle that apparently formed from nothing. Vlad looked nervously at the fledglings around him. June stood at the eastern point of the circle; Bone held the red candle on the other side of Vlad; Marrow was representing water; Apate was holding the green candle. Everyone but him was dressed up. Again he felt out of place.

When Niles finally ran in with the candle in hand, the crowd sighed in relief and everyone stood attentive, waiting for MJ's entrance.

Like the High Priestess, the priestess in training danced into the center of the circle. She was unsure of what to say to the element "thunder" and simply welcomed it as she smiled flirtatiously with Vlad. As she welcomed it the room seemed to be filled with static and several females complained that their hours of work on their hair were ruined by it. There was nothing for the summoning of air, fire, earth, and spirit; the blue and orange candles had the brightest flames of the circle. Vlad wondered about the lack of line connecting the elements and wondered if that was only for Zoey and her Circle. After lighting the purple candle she looked at the crowd and made a few announcements and said a blessing; which Vlad found dull and spent the time staring at his new girlfriend.

Again she went around the circle, this time holding a glass of red liquid to the lips of the members of the circle. MJ looked at Vlad uncertainly as she stood in front of him, thanking the new element.

"What is it?" He mouthed at her.

"Blood and wine." She replied silently. MJ figured it would taste disgusting to him, like it had to her as a third former. He gulped and nodded. After taking a small sip he found himself wanting more. He had had alcohol before, even some of his mother's best wine; but that could not compare to the taste of the mix. Watching MJ hand the glass off into the crowd and closed the circle, Vlad found himself biting his lip to keep from yelling for more.

"You okay?" MJ put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him worriedly. "I know the first time I had blood I barfed for the better part of 24 hours."

"No… It was really good."

MJ smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. Niles ran up behind him and put his arm around, planting one on his other cheek. "Come on babe lets go get some food."

MJ laughed and took his hand, leading them to the extravagant buffet table.

"So what exactly can you do with this 'thunder' of yours?" MJ asked him as they sat with her friends to eat.

"Vlad, you know, shocks people." Niles replied.

"That's stupid. It's called thunder, not lightning." Apate stated mockingly. "Who are you anyway?"

"It's a newly appearing element and you want it to make sense?" Marrow asked her.

"Vlad didn't name it. Nyx just threw it at him full force." Bone continued.

Vlad cut in smoothly. "Lightning travels too fast for mortal eyes to see. Thunder is the sound of lightning, and thus its true name. Your word 'lightning' is false, referring only to the backlash of my element."

They all stared at him.

"As soon as I find out where the hell that came from I will let you guys know."

"So does this mean you're new boyfriend is going to be a priestess, MJ?" June asked.

"Of course not! Thunder would be dangerous to use as a priestess." MJ replied.

"Me being male has nothing to do with why I can't be a priest-ess?"

"Professor Damien is male." Marrow pointed out.

"They'll probably throw him in with the warriors." Niles said. "You should see the sword he managed to get in his room."

"It's a bit girly for my tastes." Vlad smiled. "But it's a relic so I'm happy to have it."

"Just don't take it out in public." MJ said. She smiled at him and he smiled back. "The sun will be up soon. And I'm sure none of us have touched our homework yet."

Everyone laughed and started heading toward the door. Vlad headed toward MJ and took her hand. "May I walk you to your dorm, my priestess?"

She blushed and nodded. Vlad asked Niles to take the candle to their room. Niles gave him the get-some look before walking away with the candle.

They walked to the girls' dorm in awkward silence. Both had their reasons for saying nothing. Vlad was a bit preoccupied by the appearance of a new element –which he had to learn how to use. Mary Jane, scarred by several bad relationships, wondered if Vlad was hoping to get… laid.

Vlad walked her up to her room. She stood looking at him, her hand on the door knob.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast." Vlad went to kiss her. She moved her head out of the way and sighed. Starting from when she was very young MJ had never been able to sleep alone in a room. Since her roommate's sudden departure she hadn't slept at all.

"Spend the night with me."

"Don't you think that's going a little fast?" Vlad replied nervously.

"I don't mean like that. I just need someone else so I can sleep." MJ took his hand.

He smiled and signaled for her to lead him into her bedroom.

"So what should I sleep in?" Vlad asked through the bathroom door as she herself changed.

"Boxers I guess." She replied.

He sighed and slipped off his outerwear. She came out of the bathroom wearing skimpy shorts and a bra. Vlad frowned as she put up her hair.

"You went into the bathroom to change into that?"

She picked up her pillow and threw it at him. "Oh shut up!"

They both smiled. "So am I sleeping in the spare bed or is it okay if we cuddle?"

"You want to cuddle? I don't know many guys that actually want to cuddle."

"Well now you can add another one to that short list." With that he kissed her and pulled her under the covers. She blushed and curled up under then covers. As they fell asleep Vlad's cats found him and curled up with the two on MJ's bed.


	10. Chapter 10

Barely an hour later, the door opened and Aphrodite peered her head in. She did this in all rooms every night. The human had not only become school nurse but also a dorm advisor for the girls; she made sure there were no males lurking in the rooms of the girls' dormitory. It was rare for a boy to tempt fate and go up against Aphrodite and her power to punish students.

She cleared her throat loudly. Neither reacted. This displeased the prophetess.

"And what the hell do you two think you're doing?" she said loud enough to wake the sleeping pair up but not enough to disturb the relatively good kids in the adjoining rooms.

MJ shot up and looked at Aphrodite with equal amounts of "oh shit" and "I'm sorry." Vlad rose slowly and looked at the adult with a confused expression.

"You know the rules about boys having to be back in their own dorm at certain times right." Aphrodite smiled evilly. "Did you think just because you're the leader of the Dark Daughters you could bypass the rules?"

"No Aphrodite. I'm sorry." She had seriously forgotten. "It won't happen again."

"You bet your pretty little ass it won't." Along with the retort the human brought a smirk. "Come on backwards boy; back to the boys' dorm with you."

"But the sun's up!"

"It won't kill him MJ. Besides it can't compare to the punishment you to will endure this weekend."

"But he didn't know about the rule! You can't blame him!"

"I can't believe you of all people are going against a member of the staff." Aphrodite thought for a second, as Vlad put on his pants. "Would you be willing to take both of your punishments since it's your fault for not telling him?"

Vlad opened his mouth to protest. Aphrodite smiled sincerely and laughed. "Call this a warning. Next time you'll beg for death; but as of now you're grounded MJ. No leaving campus for the rest of the month."

"The month!" Vlad was very angered by this.

"I just enforce the rules. Now get out of here!" Aphrodite grabbed Vlad's ear and dragged him to the front door. His two cats followed them sleepily. At the door she threw him out into the sun and slammed the door.

Vlad sighed heavily and squinted up at the morning sun, expecting some amount of discomfort. He waited and only found himself blinded for a few seconds. His cats mewed up at him. The boy frowned figuring they wanted to be carried. The female out mewed her male counterpart and was picked up. Zag looked down smugly at Zig who hissed up at her.

Shaking his head, Vlad absently pet the feline in his arms as he surveyed the landscape. It was so different in the daylight. He smiled and headed toward the temple to see what that looked like under the sun. His cats mewed sleepily as they came upon the mess hall.

"Mom?" the silver haired boy asked the figure trying to pry open the door.

"Oh Vlad. Can you help me get this damned door open? I think it's stuck." His mother said very commandingly.

"It's not even noon. Vampyres are sleeping now." Vlad retorted sarcastically. "If fledglings get hungry for a mid-day snack there's a microwave and fridge in the dorms."

"Your high priestess said there was food in here!"

"Do I need to repeat the explanation?"

"Don't get smart with me young man."

"You can go home you know. No one else has their mommy here to hold their hand."

His mother scoffed and headed to the gates. She needed breakfast and assumed that even Okies needed to eat in the mornings. Vlad shook his head and abandoned his mission to see the temple after being confronted with a yawn.

A woman popped out from behind a tree and walked beside him. He looked at her and groaned. As if he wasn't having enough problems with adult females.

"You never told me your name last time we met." He said.

"I told you the first time." Xia smiled. "Your new girlfriend is a ginger. Interesting choice. I personally would never date a ginger. How are you doing by the way? Eden didn't freak you out too much did she?"

"Has any one ever told you that you're nuts?"

"Yes they do. All the time. Just not twenty minutes ago Nyx was swearing at me. Can you believe Nyx would do such a thing?"

"With you involved? Hell yes."

"I haven't heard a thank you for the element yet."

"That was you?"

"Nyx certainly doesn't have the power to give my chosen one an affinity. Anyway, have to motor. People to fuck, places to burn, things to invent." With that she waddled away, waddle waddle waddle, she waddled away… (I do not own "The Duck Song" u.u)

Vlad settled into bed. Awoke on time. Went to his classes and hung with his friends the rest of the week like a regular fledglings. He tried to understand the book he had been left and how to use his element briefly but abandoned it early each day. On Friday he heard of the first fledgling death since he had arrived. No one made to big a deal out of it so neither did he. A brief prayer was lead before dinner.

"You coming with us to the mall tomorrow night?" Caly asked Vlad as they ate.

"You guys can meet me there. The sun doesn't bother me."

"It doesn't?" Niles asked. Everyone one else at the table had developed an aversion to sunlight as fledglings.

"No. I discovered this when Aphrodite kicked me out of the girls dorm the other day." He chewed on a piece of food before continuing. "I've been out a little bit every day since."

He was given directions to the mall they always go to and they all went back to normal conversations.

Vlad got up around three in the afternoon. He got ready and left the school. Needless to say, like his predecessor he forgot to cover his mark the first time out of the house of night; unfortunately he had no one to remind him to do so as he looked at the sloppy directions and headed into to the city.


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh dear me. I will apologize in advance for my absolute lack of Okie dialect. As a teen from Pennsylvania southern accents escape me in speaking and writing one would be even worse. On top of this I've never left the Northeast. I've been to three states other than my native PA. My knowledge of other states come from sitcoms, fantasy novels, and British comedies. So please forgive me.**

Vlad was awed by the feel of the small city/ large town that he now resided in. It was so different from the place he grew up in. The tall buildings in Tulsa would be towered over by the short ones in New York City. Consumed by this he strayed from his path and was immediately lost.

He noticed this when he looked at a street sign and it was not on his list of directions. Sighing, he looked for something that his roommate may recognize to give him directions from there. A sign popped out at him; as he pulled out his phone a group of well-built young men surrounded him. Many were wearing sleeveless flannel shirts (**do people wear those in Oklahoma?).**

One spat at the feet of silver haired fledgling. "You think you're better than us vampyre?"

Vlad frowned. In a fight he usual had numbers on his side. Being ganged up on was a new feeling for him. He reached into his pocket for his switch blade and only found lint.

"So good you can't answer us?"

The fight started with Vlad running at an opening at the wall of men. He was stopped easily and thrown on the ground. Punches were thrown. The fledgling, being outnumbered, was eventually held down so he could fight back. Even his new strength could win against numbers. Thankfully nuns pwn.

"Let him go!" a commanding female voice said. The men did as they were told. Penguins are very scary, truthfully. "Go home and be thankful I don't call the police."

After they scampered away a woman in a whimper came to Vlad's side. A young girl about his age was by her side.

"Are you alright young man?" Vlad blinked at her, totally confused. The nun grabbed his arm to help him up. With this rolled out her reach and sat up of his own accord.

He looked at his arm and saw a burn in the shape of a hand. Groaning he remembered an annotation telling him that people and places of God would burn him. More injury is not what he needed. With that thought he looked himself over as best he could.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked. Vlad was instantly captivated by her. She had blue eyes very much like his girlfriend's. Her hair was short, curly, and light brown. This girl wasn't quite as busty as MJ but she looked much more sincere.

Vlad put his hand on his likely broken nose and nodded.

"Your Mark is unlike others of your kind." The nun commented. "I think I may remember seeing it before though; on a young lady named Kaine."

"I'm sort of her successor."

"Do you want me to take you to the hostpitle? Or maybe back to the House of Night?" the girl asked him.

"That would hurt the pride of a vampyre. Bring him in, Lacey."

"Of course, Sister." The girl named Lacey helped Vlad up and half dragged him into the building that he had noticed several minutes earlier. The place was called Street Cats. He was sat on a seat in the office. Lacey set about explaining the cat place and the nuns.

"So what are you doing here?" He asked, pained by bruising to his throat and abdomen (**possible hemorrhaging of the diaphragm anyone?) **when she finished mentioning the volunteer work of the dark daughters.

"I like cats so I volunteer too. What are you doing here? Since when do vamps like the sun?"

"I'm different."

"Noticed. We really need to get you to a hospital. The only thing here are Band-Aids and those are for cat scratches."

"Not going to a hospital. I've gotten shot before and not gone to a hospital."

"Bad boy eh? You at least need to go somewhere with proper medical supplies. Even a basic first aid kit."

"Why not your house?"

"My house? Are you coming onto me?"

"Never."

With that Lacey loaded the boy up in her passenger seat and headed toward her house, grudgingly. She put him in her room and placed him on her bed before searching for her first aid kit.

"My name is Vlad by the way." He told her as she put a bandage on his nose.

"Lacey. These look a lot worse than they are. All the blood is from your nose."

"I feel light headed."

"Want some blood?"

Vlad stared at her blankly. He was scared to drink from someone after reading that book.

"Vampyres do drink blood don't they?" Before he could answer Lacey ha her wrist cut and at his nose. He gulped but found himself attaching his lips to the cut.

In a blurr both teenagers were without clothing, exhausted, and lying on a bed together. Vlad felt what Lacey was feeling and she felt him. He was frowning severely despite the fact she tasted and sexed very good. He had a girlfriend and if he had to guess what was happening was the beginnings of an imprint.

Swearing to himself he got up and looked for his pants. Lacey sat up and watched him sadly.

"Was I bad?"

"No, no. It's just I sort of have a girlfriend." Vlad looked in a full length mirror sitting in the corner and saw his bruises had healed and his nose barely hurt. Blood was apparently better than the hand book made it out to be.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be the one you cheated on your GF with!"

"It's my fault. This would have never happened if I was able to resist your blood. I should go."

"No! It takes two." Lacey held onto the vampyre's arm and looked up at him. "I shouldn't have pushed my blood on you. I guess this is good bye."

As Vlad looked down at the human girl he saw something in her eyes. He would see her again whether he wanted it to happen or not. It was destined. Kissing her was not the best way to attempt to change that Fate.

Lacey offered to drive him back to the HON but he declined and only requested directions. As he walked in the moonlight his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Dude! Where are you? We've looked everywhere in the mall and haven't seen you." Niles's voice complained through the phone.

"I got lost. I'm heading back to the school."

"That's too bad! You just want to spend some time with your girl don't you?"

Vlad snapped his phone shut and sighed. How was he going to tell MJ what he did? He had to do it.

Vlad knocked on his soon to be ex-girlfriend's door. She said to come in and looked up at him from the cartoon on her laptop. His face made her close the computer and jump up from her bed.

"What happened?" her hand hovered over his nose as she fussed mentally about his wellbeing.

"I need to talk to you about something."

MJ's heart sunk and she sat down on her bed and he told her the tale of his day.

"I understand that you're upset with me…" Vlad was cut off by a kiss from the red head. This stunned him.

"Thank you for being honest!" She was crying. "Even a vampyre with a mate may need a consort."

Vlad put his hand on her cheek. "MJ."

"Vlad. You are truly the best thing in my world." She kissed him again, this time trying undress one of the two of them. He pulled away.

"I know you don't want to do this. Besides I still have so much to do and so little time to do it."

"Such a cliché. How can you have so much to do?"

"Take it out on the goddesses MJ." He kissed her and headed for his own dorm; consumed with guilt.

**Again I would like to extend a sincere apologize for this being poor quality. I dislike Vlad but I need him. The concept I had at his birth was brilliant but he sucks and his story sucks. He, unfortunately, holds an important position in the third one (which I am greatly invested in despite not yet writing it). I personally like and feel with the characters I have created for the third one. So all in all I'm rushing through this one so I can get to that one. Plus! Kimi, Cleo, Eden, and Tilla will be participants in the third one. How I miss them. Anyway. Forgive me. Summer boredom is also working on killing my brain so . bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

Another week passed for young Vlad, during which he began training of the warrior sort. MJ spent many hours in the library looking for references of "thunder" to help him with that. Neither was going well.

Stark leaned on his bow, unimpressed by Vlad's fighting skills. He could barely lift a sword. His hand to hand skills were fine if you were living on the street and mugging random passersby, but not for a future Son of Erebus. Of all the skills needed of a warrior, his marksmanship was best, but still very mediocre.

"You're a disgrace to the former owner of that sword." Stark commented. "I bet she could have bested Erebus himself if she was given the chance."

"Really?" Vlad had collapsed onto the gym floor, exhausted. "Good for frickin her."

Vlad's male friends had decided it would be a good sport to watch and cheer him on. Niles and Cupid had nothing to do after class. Marrow was a warrior in training and tried to help Stark with his hopeless fledgling. The three of them snickered at the fact he was just owned by a dead female.

Vlad glared over at his friends. Stark sighed and grabbed a pair of real swords from the rack. He threw one to Marrow, who caught it easily. The other he held out to the boy on the floor.

"Maybe you'll take it more seriously if you have more to risk than a few bruises." Vlad glanced at Marrow as he threw the wooden practice sword to the side. He then looked over at the sword he had laid next to Niles. Getting up, he cursed himself at the idea of using such a feminine blade.

"Can I use this?" Vlad frowned at the feeling he felt in the sword, as if it had a life, a pulse. It seemed to only allow his touch grudgingly, as if it preferred another. Having second thoughts about it was out of the question.

"I've seen Kaine do extraordinary things with that sword. Do you think you can do the same?" Stark asked, trying to keep from laughing as he looked at his pupil, holding the sword completely wrong.

"No promises, Stark." Vlad sighed and stood across from Marrow, who was looking confident.

The older fledgling was playing with Vlad, as he smacked him with the broad side of his sword. Vlad barely blocked a few blows with is sword out of pure luck. His hands felt like they were burning as anger pulsed through the metal of his own sword. He had to win if he wanted to have any unharmed skin left on his palms.

_Maybe I should have been listening to Stark while he was telling me about sword fighting theory… _Vlad thought as he ventured a blow to his opponent. Marrow easily blocked but nodded for him taking the chance.

He kept trying blows, a few caused Marrow to take a step back before blocking and sending it back. The silver haired boy was thinking he just about ready to dish out some serious blows, Marrow's cell phone started singing a song. He smiled and took a few steps back.

"Hello babe!" he cooed into it. "Oh? Vlad's training? He sucks. MJ's better with a sword than he is."

Vlad rolled his eyes and sheathed the sword. Niles smirked. "You were pretty rough dude."

"Be quiet. I'm not sure if I'm meant to be a warrior."

"Yo Vladdie!" Marrow said, snapping his phone shut. "The girls have found a reference."

Stark sighed and held his hand out for the sword Marrow was digging into the floor. "Go see if it will help."

The four boys smiled and rushed out and over to the library. When they arrived, they found a large number of their female friends flipping through book after book. June and Keres had huge piles of books on either side. Marrow was in the middle of replacing a few books on a shelf. Apate was on one of the computers, updating her friends on facebook on how bored she was. MJ was guarding one book at a table. She smiled at Vlad; he smiled back.

As he sat next to her, she quickly opened the book to the page bookmark and pointed to the passage. "It's not much, but it's a start."

He nodded and looked over the page.

_Thunder, known as Lightning in certain parts of the world, is an element dropped several hundreds of years ago from the circles of the Vampyres. It's raw, unpredictable power was too much for those blessed by Nyx with the element and resulted in many deaths. Most of these deaths were when the priestesses that held it tried to use it outside the circle, but a few times it happened during circles. The destructive nature of the element Thunder was always best for the battle field and it was given to several warriors. Unfortunately many warriors lost their lives in the quest to conquer Thunder. The few that survived had very strong souls and sense of self. They became very powerful but never held places of power, so little is known about their lives. _

Vlad frowned. That probably meant there wouldn't be much else on the subject. He sighed and kicked Apate off her computer. There was a website that one of his teachers showed the class earlier in the week which could help him.

It was a website created as a project by a few fledglings in Britain that listed some of the most powerful but least known vampires to that time.

The second he clicked on the list of vampyres, Kaine's face smiled at him, the sword at his side in her hand. A profile of her life on the side told him things he really didn't care about.

"Dude, she's smoking hot!" Cupid said, drooling. "You don't have a chance."

"She's dead, it says so right there," Marrow pointed to the date of death on the screen.

"Will you guys not talk about my soul twin like that, it's weird." Vlad had little room to talk, since he thought she was quite attractive too.

"Kaine Macabre is your soul twin?" MJ asked. "She's like my hero!"

He flushed. There was no way he could ever live up to Kaine. He continued frowning as he scrolled down and MJ commented on how much she respected Tilla Ceol too, his living soul twin. If they were both worthy enough to be on this site he hoped he would one day make it up too.

Vlad scrolled through several hundreds of years of history and finally noticed the word "thunder" in the description of a warrior. He skimmed over the description and noted the mention of a book about him at the Tulsa House of Night… Luckily for him, Vlad was in the Tulsa House of Night. He immediately switched to the online card catalogue for the library. He went and grabbed the book, smiling at the illumination of the warrior on the third page.

"I think I'll be fine." He told the fledglings gathered around him.

As they cheered, Keres looked worried at June, who a few seconds after that started coughing. About a minutes she was spitting blood and collapsed to the ground. Everyone gathered around her, knowing she wasn't going to make it.

**So, StevieRae or other readers of this fic, I've encountered a problem. My one friend in real life has threatened to eat my computer if I don't write more of this original story for her. So, I owe her a few pages that I'll have to complete before I can write more for you. Go reread Kaine. I'll be back by the time you're done. Maybe.**


	13. Chapter 13

Vlad had never seen a fledgling reject the change, and after watching June he never wanted to again. The blood smelt sweet and the coughs could break one's soul. As everyone else tried to gather around her, the young Mirror stayed back in horror, gripping the back on a chair. Zoey eventually came past with Damien and Stark behind her. The two Vampyres held a stretcher and waited for the okay to lift the girl onto it.

All of Vlad's friends reluctantly left June's side and watched as she was removed from the room. Bone, June's roommate, left with her, holding her hand. Marrow, MJ, and even Apate had tears in their eyes. Keres didn't show any emotion, she looked blandly at him as he stared at the spot where June had previously lain.

"I think we should all head back to the dorms." Niles commented sadly. "Go to bed early."

Everyone nodded sadly. Vlad stayed where he was, even when MJ hooked her arm around his shoulders and tried to make him follow the group. He said nothing to her. They left him there since he wouldn't move.

"I knew she was going to die today. And I know when everyone else will die." Keres, who had also stayed behind, told him.

"Is that your gift from the goddess?"

"It is. Not quite as glamourous as yours."

"Then tell me, how do I die?"

"I can't tell you that. Don't you know that a future is set in stone and cannot be changed unless it is known (**I did –not- try to rhyme that, just for the record)**?" Keres smiled. "In the words of a Timelord 'it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey… stuff.'"

"Err, what?"

"I just thought you should know that everyone at this House of Night had their future changed when you were brought onto the grounds."

"Me? What do I have to do with anything?"

"I see monsters. They storm the HON, to fight you. Many people will die, protecting you. Whether you're here or not makes no difference."

"How do you know for certain?"

"Because I am cursed with seeing a person's future every time I look at them Vlad; and the truth is, when I see you I see nothing." With that she walked away.

Vlad continued to stand where he was for a few minutes. He thought about his lack of future until the click of high heels got louder and louder.

"Oh, thank you Nyx for finally giving me someone I can use." Xia looked up as she draped her arm around the boy. "Don't worry Vladdie, you have a future. That little girl can only see the futures of fellow children of Nyx."

He glared at her. "Why did you give me the most dangerous element ever?"

"Well, you see, dear Vladdie, I would have given it to Kaine but she was always just too floral, and she's dead. I need my dear Thunder alive. Also a new crop of the rest of the elements, but that will be taken care of with a new generation, aye Vlad?"

"What?"

"Dense aren't you?" Xia sighed and got off the boy. "Just hurry up and become someone worthy of wearing my mark or I'll carve them both from your skin."

"You could help me, you know."

"I can't actually. It's against the rules. Something that Zeus never seemed to understand back in the good ole days."

"Can you stop reminiscing and talk to me?"

"Snippy, I like that. One of my favorite qualities of my dearest Kaine, and Tilla too." Xia smirked and moved Vlad's bangs out of his eyes. "Do you think you can compare to them? The warrior who died because of another's choice and the broken woman missing her little voice are better men even in their current states, and they are some of the best women that ever set foot on this earth. Can you be like your soul twin, boy?"

"You want me to live up to that? Two of the best men a goddess has ever met that are female?"

"Exactly, glad you understand." Xia kissed him on the cheek. "Cheerio boy!"

Xia left quickly. Vlad sighed and returned to his dorm room, the book beneath his arm. Upon arriving at the room he sat the book with the other one and stripped to his boxers, ready to go to sleep.

While he and Niles were changing, the expectations of fledglings after the passing of a classmate were explained by the upper classman of the two.

"During announcements Zoey will say a few kind words and we'll have a moment of silence. Things will be a little quieter in the cafeteria but everyone will be expected to be better by tomorrow. As for her close friends, teachers will give them a little more slack."

"Do we count as June's close friends?" Vlad asked, grabbing up the book from the library.

"I don't think so." Niles looked at the knife marks on the back of their door. "When do you expect to read that during class?"

"During the lectures, obviously." Vlad sighed and headed to breakfast, not waiting for his roommate.

No one said anything during breakfast, so Vlad poured over the book, hoping the warrior's description of his use of Thunder was near the beginning of the fairly long book. Every time he was sitting down his eyes were on the pages. No one said anything to him, not even the slightly annoyed professors. Well, one did.

Vlad was so invested into getting back to the book he didn't notice the very blatant differences in his drama teacher. For one it wasn't even a vampyre. The only things the man in the front of the room had in common with the normal teacher, Erik Night, were hair color, gender, and a wish to get in the high priestess's pants. No one had warned the boy that the fallen angel took Erik's place while he performed his duties as a tracker.

"Excuse me, but I happen to be teaching." Kalona removed the book from the boy's hands. He looked at his mark and scoffed.

"You have wings…" he noted aloud.

"Just because you are one of my big sister's chosen ones does not mean you will be getting special treatment." Kalona whispered to him, glaring.

"Sorry, but what the hell?"

"If you don't know you can get the story from one of your little friends later. Now tell me where that oaf of a boy left off."

Vlad got through the class, barely and headed for the lunch room. Currently he was more concerned by bird man than his lack of knowing how to control Thunder (**I swear, Hii, Sori, if you two do not stop snickering I'm going to kick your asses! P.S. Sorry for all who have no idea what the hell I'm talking about.)**

Upon being asked, all his friends went into story telling mode, filling him in on their High Priestess's amazing defeat of Nefert and her deal with Kalona.

"In hopes of keeping the world safe she decided to basically be his sex slave?" Vlad tried to confirm.

"No! He's her servant, getting paid with sex. Obsession is a powerful thing." Bone corrected, before shoving her tongue down Marrow's throat.

"Well, now that I'm no longer confused on that." Vlad opened the book back to where he was and continued reading until the end of lunch.

In the middle of the second to last class of the day he stood up and cheered. The teacher glared at him. Vlad instantly sat down and planned for what he was going to do after classes. He had found what he was hoping to find in the book.


	14. Chapter 14

Vlad excitedly ran to his dorm room for his candle. If he understood his goddess's motives he might not have been as excited. When he entered he instantly noticed the weapon lying on his bed. A gorgeously handcrafted bow with a matching quiver sat, waiting for him.

The bow was made from a single piece of oak with orange calcite lightning bolts inlays. His name was painted on it in orange. The bow sting looked like it was made of silver. The quiver was made from oak, like the bow. The arrows within were made of silver and had orange bolts painted on.

The warrior he had just read up on was well trained in archery, it was said it was the weapon of choice for those blessed with thunder. He picked it up and ran his hand over the wood, perfectly smooth. A note was attached.

_Congrates kiddo, you can read a book. Insert sarcastic clapping here. You're wasting my time; go practice. And for all that is unholy don't kill yourself. ~Xia_

Sighing, he put the quiver and bow on his back and grabbed the candle. He headed to the gym that Stark and the guys would probably be waiting for him in.

After showing off his bow, he tried following what was said in the book about controlling thunder.

Every day he practiced his fighting and his use of Thunder. He stayed on campus until MJ's punishment was up.

"You're going to take two weapons, that you can barely use, to a cat shelter?" She asked him, trying to cover his Mark.

He shrugged as both his cats rubbed against him, wanting attention.

"This is useless. Niles, get me a large bandaid." She called to the boy covering his own mark in the bathroom. "I mean, considering last you went out into town you got beat up, I understand how you feel you should, but they're a little suspicious, don't you think?"

"I guess…" he sighed as she affixed the bandage to his forehead. He got up and took off all the weapons. "Better?"

She nodded and took his hand. Niles rolled his eyes at them, reminding that they were expected at street cats.

As they headed to the gates of the school they discussed with the rest of the band of fledglings with a love for charity work who would be doing what. It would be dusk in about an hour and a half; it would be a new moon that night. They were trusted to walk there fine on their own, but a car would sent to take them back to HON.

The nuns smiled warmly at them as they entered and trusted them to find what to do for themselves. One of the nuns came over, recognizing Vlad.

"Feeling better than last time we met?" She asked, with a warm smile.

"Yes, much. Thank you."

He walked over to where MJ was, asking what he could do to help.

"Vlad?" a female voice asked behind him. He turned and was instantly remind of a thirst he had been doing well to ignore.

"Lacey?" It had been almost a month since he had last seen her. She looked really tired.

"I was hoping to run into you soon. There's something we need to talk about…"

"So this is your consort, Vlad?" MJ asked, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, Lacey this is my girlfriend MJ, MJ this is Lacey…"

"I'm really sorry about what happened between Vlad and I…"

"No, I should thank you for taking such good care of him," MJ smiled. "He's actually been looking really weak, maybe some blood would make him better?"

Lacey sighed. "Maybe, but right now I think I should say what I have to say. I'm pregnant."

Vlad's eyes bulged out of his skull. MJ's expression barely changed.

"Vampyres and fledglings are sterile."

"But I haven't been with anyone else in the past six months, and if it was from that far back wouldn't I have noticed sooner."

Vlad groaned, remembering a note Kaine or Tilla had made in the book about Xia's fledglings and vamps could have kids. "It's possible MJ. I'm not a normal fledgling."

"You're not going to get an abortion are you?" MJ asked.

"Of course not! But since the father isn't human I don't know what to expect…"

"Unfortunately most of my female predecessors died before giving birth and the males' consorts didn't live that long either…"

It was Lacey's turn to have her eyes exit her skull.

"Did you tell your parents yet?" he asked, his stress level rising.

"Yeah. They said since it was a 'vamp' that knocked me up your people should take care of it."

Vlad frowned. It was true. He hadn't found out that he could 'knock up' someone until after he did. He should have known. "I'll talk to our high priestess. Why don't we swap phone numbers so I can call you when I figure things out?"

Lacey nodded and handed him her phone to put his number into. He did the same. She then went home. Vlad and MJ spent the rest of the time in awkward silence.

Eventually they all left Street Cats and headed back to the HON. Once they arrived Vlad headed immediately to Zoey's room.

"Hey Vlad," Stark said grumpily, in front of her door.

"Um, any reason you're not going in?"

"She's with Kalona." He sneered as a moan escaped from the room.

"Well I really need to talk to her."

"Isn't your mentor good enough?"

"I got someone pregnant."

"Yep, you should talk to Zoey."

"That's what I said."

Eventually Kalona exited the room. He sneered at Vlad and Stark before walking away.

"After you, future father." Stark joked. Vlad didn't appreciate the joke as he entered the room. Zoey was wrapping herself with a thin robe. She looked at Vlad confused a bit.

"Is there something you needed?" She asked, wrapping the robe tighter. She looked to Stark.

"Vlad says he impregnated someone." Her warrior replied, amused.

"You both know how impossible that is."

"But I did get someone pregnant, Priestess."

"_**How!**_" She asked, gawking.

Vlad simply pointed at the backwards crescent on his forehead. She gawked at him a bit more and then sat on the bed, defeated.

"What should we do about it?" Stark asked, sitting next to her.

"Do you have any idea what the offspring of you and a human would be?"

"No idea. Only way to find out is to let be born and see."

"How far along is she?"

"A month? But it's not like we know how long she will be pregnant. We might be looking at some new species here."

Zoey groaned. "We should observe her. Please have her come by. Maybe I should have a room made up for her…"

"Thank you."

"Now get out…"

**Haha, a friend of mine really doesn't like Vladdie. She wanted me to make one last chapter and end it with a single sentence, putting all the stuff I have left to do in a well structured list like: "Vlad finds out the chick's knocked up, runs into the Noir, gets a bow and arrows, learns how to use them, and then fights the Noir." Be glad I didn't. I was really tempted to. Obviously not in that order u.u Ciao. ~Creager out.**


	15. Chapter 15

Lacey smiled sadly at Vlad, he was worn out and sweaty from practicing. MJ walked over to him and draped a towel around his shoulders.

"You should take a break," MJ told him. Lacey stood up awkwardly, holding her bulging stomach.

"No. I need to protect you both." Vlad wiped his forehead and went to lift his bow to shoot again.

"Stop, if you overwork yourself you won't be able to." Lacey pushed his arms down gently.

He groaned at the awkwardness radiating from the two teenage girls. After six months the two girls had gotten used to each other and had become somewhat good friends, if two girls sharing a guy can be friends.

"Alright. A short break." He walked over to the bench and downed a bottle of water. Vlad had a sense of urgency. Something was going to happen and very little, if any, good would come from it. A worried glance, that's all he could spare his two girlfriends before the human let out a light scream and clutched her pregnant self.

"Lacey!" They both rushed to her side.

"Something tells me it's coming…"

"But it's only been seven months…" MJ pointed out.

"MJ, every species has its own gestation period…" Vlad said as he watched the floor become drenched, with watered down blood.

Lacey winced and almost fell. As Vlad held her up MJ pulled out her phone, dialing the priestess. She franticly raddled about Lacey.

"Zoey says we should take her to the nearest hospital."

"The nearest hospital is that religious one isn't it?" Vlad grimaced. If that was the case he wouldn't be able to hold her hand. "I can't go in there then."

MJ frowned but understood. Lacey was a bit preoccupied to be understanding. "Can we get to the damned car?"

Luckily for Vlad, the religious hospital was not the one that Stark was driving them to. Lacey was rushed into the maternity ward, the father was the only one allowed to go back with her.

Vlad seemed more nervous than the girl giving birth. He kept his eyes shut and kept his mind off the yelling and continuous "Push!"es coming from the doctor.

"It's over, you can let go of my hand now," Lacey informed him, tucking on his hand.

"Uh… What is it?" Vlad saw the pink buddle a nurse was holding out to him with a severe frown. He let go of Lacey's hand and reached for the baby girl.

"There's two." Lacey said. "A boy too."

Vlad looked at his daughter and stole the nurse's frown. "That's a Mark on her forehead."

The mark was Nyx's and unfilled. The girl was born a fledgling; she would be faced with several problems as she grew up. She had piercing green eyes; similar to someone he had met only in a dream.

Lacey nodded. "She's perfectly healthy and completely developed. He's not quite…"

Vlad rocked the girl in his arms. MJ was finally allowed into the room. As Lacey filled her in and held her Vampyre child in her arms, Vlad was led to where his son was being monitored.

The boy was a little more developed than any normal human fetus would have been at the time of his birth, but he wasn't completely there. All of his organs were there but only the heart, lungs, and brain were completely functional – and those were barely. Things wouldn't be looking good for the kid, except an anonymous benefactor donated a lot of high end equipment to the pre-mature baby department. One would have to think too hard to figure out who it was. It wasn't completely uncommon for babies to be born premature but this was an odd case, as he would have stayed longer if not for his twin sister of a completely different species.

The boy was indeed human. It was obvious to anyone who saw him. The woman bent over his medical grade crib was not, however.

Xia looked up and smiled at Vlad. "Cute kid. Looks like you, that may count against him when he's older."

"How did you know?"

"Know what? I know nothing." Xia smiled darkened (if you can darken the colour black). "You're not a kid any more, let's not play games."

"I am still a kid." Vlad motioned to his unfilled mark.

Xia laughed. "And you best soon Change. You're a father now. Fairly skilled with both the bow and sword. You cannot complete the task I will charge you with as a fledgling."

"I'm not going to kill anyone."

"Oh, but you will. Hundreds of Noir. You will massacre scores of the monsters." Vlad opened his mouth to deny it. "You _will_. And you will ask what makes me think you will. This boy. The new born vampyre in the other room. Your young priestess-to-be and consort."

Vlad, not wanting to do something rash, walked out of the ward and the hospital. Xia followed, hoping to piss him off more. As soon as they were outside, Xia leaned over and sunk a pair of sharp teeth into his neck. He pushed her away then pulled the sword out of its sheath and plunged it into her chest, going through her heart.

She looked down at the hilt sticking out of her bosom without any expression, then to Vlad, and back to the sword, repeating this for almost a minute. Vlad almost fainted from the fact that she was still standing.

"Ow." Xia said it with no affliction, after she pulled the sword out.

Vlad continued staring at her, horrified.

"Either way, Vladdie, you will drain a human and you will kill the Noir." Xia kept the sword, (**why? I don't know. Xia writes herself**.). "They'll be moving soon. Ask Zoey for directions to the tunnels at the Depot. Rotten things like to hang out there."

Vlad looked at the trail of blood she left as she strutted away. He shook his head and ran through a list of options of people he could kill and not feel guilty. Very short list, a total of zero people on it.

He headed up to the room and picked out names for his children. Cain for the boy and Yanette for the girl. With a heavy sigh he headed back to the HON, to pick up his bow. He was missing for two days.

When he returned, Lacey was out of the hospital with Yanette. Cain would be there for a while yet but was doing well. MJ was frantic at his absence. Both girls were awed by the new tattoos adorning his forehead. Two curved lines followed the outer curve of the crescent and small star bursts lined those. On the inside of the crescent was an eight pointed star, similar to the one Vlad the Impaler wore on his helmet. From three points came jagged lines, one across his eye one back into his hair line, and one to cartoonish lightning bolt next to his eye.

Vlad was changed, eliminated the immediate threat to the Tulsa House of Night, and was ready for whatever shit Xia threw at him.


End file.
